Sudden Steve Slaton hunch (zero basis for this hunch)

I think the Packers will draft Steve Slaton somewhere. I don’t have any evidence for this. I find it interesting that the draft “experts”, for whatever reason, don’t think he’s worth much. I reviewed some of his profile and can’t quite understand why he’s essentially become villified by the draft community. This is a guy who a few years ago finished 4th in Heisman voting.

Here is my very basic thought on the guy. He’d be worth probably a 3rd rounder (though I wouldn’t even mind if we picked him up with one of the 2nd round picks). Here’s why. Think about the last 2-3 years of watching college football. Every single Sat, in highlight shows, you would hear first that West Virginia probably won, then you’d hear Pat White’s name and Steve Slaton’s name and then they’d show some ridiculous run featuring some ridiculous athleticism. He’s played for a very successful program and his supposedly “down” junior year still had him gaining 1400+ yards on the ground with 18 TDs. One article here, indicates that part of the reason his stats may have declined is simply the presence of Pat White who took plays and carries from Slaton. During his monster season a few years ago, Slaton averaged nearly 7 yards per carry. Last year, it was down to 5, which is still really really good. I would argue he probably hasn’t lost a whole lot of his ability, he was just forced to share the workload a bit more when Pat White came onto the scene.

The main reason I believe I have this hunch is that he seems to be one of those players who very simply just plays football effectively and seems to have a good attitude – both characteristics TT and MM look for. I can’t pretend to know anything more about his character, but I would love to pick up a high quality 3rd down back with game-breaking speed and jukability, as it were (the spell check didn’t underline that – perhaps jukability is actually a word?). Plus, he would add some excitment to our team instantly (and possibly even do some kick returning).

Please help spread the rumor that the Packers are going to pick him until it spreads to TT and MM and they realize “wow, how could we not have thought of taking him – let’s take him”. That’s my delusional goal in writing this post.